AP Pro32 ballot from Kaufman

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Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Ira Kaufman of Tampa Tribune:

Week 17

IRA KAUFMAN (Tampa Tribune)

1. Denver Broncos -- The Mile High City is lovely to visit in January unless you're an AFC Super Bowl hopeful.

2. Atlanta Falcons -- Mike Smith's balanced club has answered all the questions, except the postseason ones.

3. Green Bay Packers -- Don't sleep on the Packers, especially if they nail down a first-round bye.

4. Seattle Seahawks -- Their confidence level is soaring as high as the Space Needle these days.

5. San Francisco 49ers -- A team this solid shouldn't look like the Chiefs this often.

6. New England Patriots -- Once they get punched in the mouth, these guys know how to respond.

7. Houston Texans -- That physicality edge has gone AWOL for much of the past month.

8. Baltimore Ravens -- Two weeks before Ray Lewis returns, they regained their swagger.

9. Cincinnati Bengals -- Back-to-back playoff berths and a vow to go deep this time around.

10. Washington Redskins -- Redskins-Cowboys in prime time with a division title on the line. Jackpot.

11. Minnesota Vikings -- Adrian Peterson is finally getting a little help from his friends.

12. Indianapolis Colts -- How do you go from two wins to 10? In this case, Luck is a key factor.

13. Chicago Bears -- They're not out of this thing, thanks to a defense that ended its long siesta.

14. New Orleans Saints -- You'd better believe they wish the season was starting anew this weekend.

15. Dallas Cowboys -- One of these decades, the Cowboys will fix that leaky secondary.

16. New York Giants -- That bewildered look on Tom Coughlin's face says it all.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Mediocrity doesn't cut it with the Steelers, and that's why they'll soon be back.

18. St. Louis Rams -- As the NFL's youngest team, the Rams should feel very good about themselves.

19. Miami Dolphins -- Far from a finished product, but this aggressive defense is a keeper.

20. San Diego Chargers -- When Norv Turner walks off the field Sunday, it will be an emotional moment.

21. Carolina Panthers -- A win in New Orleans and a Buc loss lifts the Saints out of the division basement.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Different head coach, same dispiriting finish.

23. New York Jets -- What will the Big Apple tabloids do if Tebow's gone next year?

24. Cleveland Browns -- Like Miami, they need a few more weapons to keep defenses off balance.

25. Arizona Cardinals -- That 4-0 start only makes the last 11 games even harder to stomach.

26. Tennessee Titans -- In a league littered with lousy defenses, they've given up an NFL-high 451 points.

27. Detroit Lions -- A loss to Chicago would give these underachievers an 0-6 slate against NFC North foes.

28. Buffalo Bills -- If Ryan Fitzpatrick is the answer, you're asking the wrong question.

29. Philadelphia Eagles -- Will the Eagles close out the Andy Reid era with a win at the Meadowlands?

30. Oakland Raiders -- Like so many teams, the Raiders are desperate for a young QB to build around.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Tebowmania is sure to build to a fever pitch in the offseason.

32. Kansas City Chiefs -- If Bill Polian wants back into the league, this could be a landing spot.

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Online:

http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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